Priest Degrees
1ST DEGREE -Preacher = Priest Adept is naturally talented at giving speeches and inspiring others. They can easily move people's emotions with the power of their words. 2ND DEGREE -Sense Belief = A Priest can look someone over and get a general feeling for their core beliefs and theology. They won't be able to tell their exact beliefs or Tribal loyalties, but they can sense general things like whether the target is theist, polytheist, maltheist, atheist, etc. -Aura of Faith = This aura protects the Priest from possession. 3RD DEGREE -True Faith = Priest can inculcate others against the use of Magick by amplifying their faith in God. This takes the form of a temporary 'halo' which will protect them from psychic and magick assault. -Smite = Priest can smite an opponent with a blast of holy light. 4TH DEGREE -Minor Healing = Through prayer and a blessing, the Priest Adept can heal minor wounds. -Lesser Faith Manifestation = By reciting scripture, even from memory, a Priest Adept can cause a replay of those faith stories to play out in real life. For instance, by retelling the story of Joshua's victory, a manifestation of the Biblical figure of Joshua will appear by the Priest's side to help him in a fight. The story of the Tower of Babel would cause small buildings or objects to collapse, etc. This power only works with scriptures the individual Priest actually believes in. 5TH DEGREE -Lesser Shape Belief = Priest, through powerful orations, can heavily influence people with his supernatural eloquence. He can even convince people to shift or change long-held theological beliefs and moral convictions. This is not mind control, only powerful persuasion. -Fire Shield = Priest can summon to himself a shield of flames which only burn his opponents. 6TH DEGREE -Binding Vows = The Priest can supernaturally bind someone to an oath or vow they swear. If they willingly disobey their own oath, they will take some physical damage for it and be stripped of some of their powers for an extended time. The oath cannot be forced, a person must make the oath of their own free will. -Gimpse the Sin = Priest can look into someone's eyes and catch a glimpse of a sin they have tried to keep hidden. 7TH DEGREE -Summon the Faith of Others = Priest can cause figures from the faith stories of others to come to life temporarily. Samson from the Book of Judges, Goliath from Kings, etc. These aren't actually the heroes of the faith, just mere similitude that possesses similar powers. -Greater Smite = Priest can now Smite multiple opponents at once. 8TH DEGREE -The Tithe = This power is rarely if ever used by the Shepard Kings, although it is still tradition among the Ordo Melchizedek. The Tithe allows a Priest to 'extract' belief from those around him on a daily or weekly basis, granting them extra Kenosis. This can only be done on people whose beliefs have been sufficiently 'sculpted' by the Priest. 9TH DEGREE -Fear of Divine Retribution = Priest can attempt to instill the fear of Divine wrath and damnation in a target, telling them of the terrible things that await the evildoer. Those who are affected will be shaken for a duration of time. 10TH DEGREE -Greater Shape Belief = Priest can powerfully reshape the beliefs of others, influencing them to take on entirely new beliefs or convictions. -Sodom's Curse = Priest can curse a target to become encased in salt. 11TH DEGREE -Angelic Ally = Priest can call out for help from Celestial spirits. -Greater Faith Manifestation = The Priest Adept can draw people and events from scriptures to replay them in modern times. This time, reading the story of Joshua would bring more than just Joshua, but a portion of his army as well, etc. 12TH DEGREE -Inspiration = Priest is temporarily inspired by The Divine, granting them increased knowledge and wisdom on a single topic. -Warrior Priest = Priest temporarily gains greater strength. 13TH DEGREE -Excommunication = This is one of the darker and more powerful specific powers of the Order of Priests. It is only to be used in conjunction with other members of the Order. The power of Excommunication uses the beliefs of others, even of the target, to erase all knowledge of the target from existence. In its most powerful form, Excommunication can even send a target from this world to the great beyond, leaving no one behind to remember the target even existed. 14TH DEGREE -Joshua's Favor = Priest Adept can call upon God to stop or slow the sun in the sky. This is an entirely supernatural event and will only take place in that one region the Priest is in. In ancient times Priests frequently used this power to awe crowds of spectators and instill fear of the Priest in them. -Corporate Faith = Priest can spend Kenosis to reach out and draw forth more Kenosis from the faith of others. These other people must have genuine faith in God for the Priest to 'harvest' Kenosis from them. 15TH DEGREE -Elijah's Fire = Priest can summon flames to fall from the sky and consume opponents (if indoors, the flames erupt from the ground). -Look At Me, I'm Moses = Priest can supernaturally part waters, allowing them and others to cross in relative safety and comfort. 16TH DEGREE -Tower of Babel = The Priest can confuse the languages of others, causing them to temporarily forget whatever language they previously spoke. This is done to confuse and disorganize groups of opponents. -Flight of Habbakuk = Priest can temporarily levitate himself or fly short distances through the air. 17TH DEGREE -Manna = Priest can ask God to send down manna from the sky to feed the Priest and his allies. Sometimes the manna is delivered in the beaks of local birds. -Strike the Rock = Priest can strike the ground or a rock and a temporary spring will erupt from it. 18TH DEGREE -Cloud of Glory = The Priest can surround himself with a billowing cloud that crackles with static and electricity. This is done so that the Priest can pray protected when under duress, and anyone who attempts to enter or bypass the cloud will be electrocuted. -Prophet's Companions = Ravens or similar local birds will flock to the Priest's location and help protect him from harm, swooping down to strike opponents in the face or steal things from them. 19TH DEGREE -The Deluge = Priest can summon rain storms to flood an area. The higher the Priest's Degrees, the greater the amount of flooding. -Babylon's Doom = Priest can send a curse on an evildoer, causing them to see their sins mysteriously written across walls and around town. This will cause them to become self conscious and paranoid. 20TH DEGREE -Ark = Priest can bless a container for scriptures designating it as an Ark. Anyone who touches the Ark for the wrong reasons (ie, evil reasons) will suffer physical damage for no apparent reason. 21ST DEGREE -Prophetic Dreams = The same gift as that given to the Biblical Joseph, the priest can receive symbolic dreams and can understand them. He can also help untangle dreams given to other people as well. 22ND DEGREE -Aaron's Defense = The Priest can counter a magick spell and even turn it back against the magick-user. 23RD DEGREE -Plagues of Egypt = Priest can summon a minor version of one of the Great Plagues of Egypt. 24TH -Exorcism = Priest can wrestle spiritually with a spirit or spirits to forcibly remove them from a possessed host. 25TH -Multiplication of Loaves = Priest can supernaturally multiply food they have in order to keep themselves and others fed. 26TH -Elisha's Power = Priest can cause things to levitate, even heavy objects, and move them through the air with their mind. 27TH -Blast of Light = Priest can summon a loud thunderclap and burst of light to knock opponents to the ground and intimidate others. 28TH -Resurrection = Priest can bring back the dead with this power. Works identically to Resurrectionist powers. 29TH -Assyria's Doom = Priest can all down a pestilence on a group of people, bringing them to their knees. 30TH DEGREE -Indoctrinate = Priest can cast a powerful charismatic aura about himself that causes his words to be taken as gospel by any who hear them. With the right effort and pitch, a Priest can cause others to forego even long cherished beliefs and convictions and become totally loyal to the Priest. Shepard King use this power only sparingly, but members of the Ordo Melchizedek are known to use it much more often.